14 Hours
by t dot chick
Summary: Ever wonder what went on during the 14 hour plane ride to Rome? Tension, laughter, and even a crisis or two! Almost LG, my first fanfic, please R&R! CHAPTER 11 BEFORE I GO ON VACATION AND THE SYSTEM IS DISABLED!
1. Takeoff

Chapter 1: Takeoff  
Lizzie's POV  
  
I couldn't believe it. Sure, I was a little sad. After all, I'd never been away from my family for more than a day or two, and this would be two weeks! But I knew that I just couldn't miss out on this trip. Two blissful weeks - or one blissful fortnight, as the romantic Romans might say - in Rome, Italy with my best guy friend Gordo. Like, how could I possibly resist!?  
  
"Final boarding call for flight 3275 to Rome," suddenly came onto the loudspeakers. I turned to look at Gordo, standing beside me with his carry- on suitcase. "You ready?" I asked him.  
  
Gordo's lips curled into a small smile. "Let's do this!" he replied.  
  
My face broke into a huge grin. "Coolie!" And with that, we showed our tickets and boarded the plane.  
  
Gordo's POV  
  
For the first time in my life, I actually felt really excited about something. Normally, I just let whatever happens, happens, and I enjoy it as I live it. But this was different. Going to the other side of the planet for two weeks without your parents is a big deal. Very big. I had to face it - everyone else was tingling with anticipation. Lizzie was excited. Ms. Ungermeyer, the principal of Hillridge High, and our chaperone, was excited. my parents were excited. even *Ethan* was excited, and that was probably a lot for his tiny mental capacity to handle. I guess all that excitement was contagious. Just saying the word "Rome" made me smile.  
  
Once on the plane, I jammed my carry-on into the overhead compartment and slid into my seat, right by the window. "You sure you don't want the window seat?" I asked Lizzie.  
  
She flashed me her beautiful smile. "That's OK," she replied. "I'll be taking the window seat on the way home two weeks from now!"  
  
We both laughed. Lizzie sat down and buckled up her seat belt. Then she sighed. "Excited?"  
  
I let out a small laugh. "What do you think!?" 


	2. Truth or Dare

A/N: This chapter is really, really long. But it's good, trust me! Please keep reading and reviewing!  
  
Chapter 2: Truth or Dare  
  
Lizzie's POV  
  
About ten minutes after boarding the plane, we finally took off. I was shaking as we taxied towards the runway - I was positively giddy! Soon we'd be cruising through the sky on our way to the "Eternal City", filled with rich culture and history...  
  
So why was I so scared?  
  
"Gordo!" I exclaimed. I grabbed onto his arm and gripped it tightly. Fear washed over me.  
  
"It's OK, Lizzie," Gordo reassured me, gently stroking my hair. "Everything will be alright. This plane's gonna take us to Rome and we'll have a great time, and you'll be saying 'I can't believe I was afraid to get on that flight, it didn't hurt a bit!'"  
  
I giggled a little. Then I was interrupted by the plane suddenly blasting off down the runway.  
  
I let out a little scream and dug my nails into Gordo's arm. But he didn't even flinch; he turned to me and smiled. Somehow, that little smile alone made me feel a million times better. It was the last thing I saw before we lifted off of the ground and glided smoothly into the sky.  
  
Gordo's POV A few minutes after we took off, Lizzie finally calmed down. Seeing all of Hillridge far below us got her stop whimpering and rediscover her excitement. It was smooth sailing from there.  
  
THE 1ST HOUR For awhile, we happily watched the world go by in silence, as our plane flew higher and higher. The people below looked liked little cookie crumbs scattered about a huge plate, and the cars were chocolate chips, and the houses were chunks of raw dough. All that thinking of cookies made me real hungry, but the flight attendant was nowhere in sight.  
  
"Truth or dare," Lizzie said suddenly, breaking the silence.  
  
"No," I replied.  
  
"Oh, come *on* Gordo, it'll be fun!" she begged.  
  
"Well... OK. Truth."  
  
"Darn. I had a really good dare in mind, too."  
  
"Yeah? What was it?"  
  
"Oh, nothing."  
  
Lizzie looked a little disappointed, but I could see that she was already racking her brain for a good Truth question to ask me.  
  
"OK, what's your favorite place in the whole entire world?"  
  
'In your arms,' I thought to myself. But I knew I had to tell her something, and certainly not that. "Well, I'd have to say... m-my room."  
  
"Your room?" she asked. "Why?"  
  
"Oh, well, it's really... filled with all my favorite stuff, and it's very... clean."  
  
"Clean? Whatever. Now you ask me!"  
  
"OK, truth or dare?"  
  
A mischievous grin spread across Lizzie's face. "Dare!" she answered excitedly.  
  
I was completely stumped; what was I supposed to do, ask her to Kate's lipgloss?  
  
"Um... pass," I replied.  
  
"Oh come on Gordo, pleeeease? Pleeeeeease? Pleasepleaseplease?"  
  
"Lizzie." I gave her a pleading look, begging her not to make me dare her.  
  
"Fine. Truth or dare?"  
  
"Must we keep playing?"  
  
"Uh, yeah! What else is there to do?"  
  
"Fine. Dare."  
  
"Dare?!"  
  
As soon as that word came out of my mouth, I knew it was a mistake. Why on earth would I ever take a dare? It must have been the stupidest thing I'd ever done.  
  
But I couldn't let Lizzie see that I was scared. "Yeah, dare," I said slowly.  
  
Lizzie's expression grew devilish once again.  
  
"Well, I have to ask you first: does the girl you like go to our school?"  
  
I considered the question for a moment. "Yes."  
  
Lizzie continued her interrogation. "Is she on this plane?"  
  
I gazed into her eyes. "Yes."  
  
"Ohmigosh!" Lizzie exploded. "OKOKOK, I dare you to go up to the girl you like, and tell her how you feel."  
  
That was exactly what I was afraid of. Yet even though every muscle in my body was refusing to move, there was a sudden urge to tell her... to hold her... to kiss her, and feel her sweet lips on mine...  
  
The flight attendant came at that moment and offered us some peanuts, before I had the chance to tackle Lizzie. 


	3. Life Imitates Art

A/N: OK, so the last chapter wasn't very long, but it looked long on Microsoft Word, and I'm new to this website! Bear with me, people, bear with me!  
  
Chapter 3: Life Imitates Art  
  
Lizzie's POV  
  
I was glad that the flight attendant had come - hey, I was hungry! - but I still wanted Gordo to take the dare. It wasn't just any old dare; this could be the moment of revelation, the moment of truth...  
  
The moment I found out how Gordo really feels about me.  
  
I waited for a few seconds after the stewardess left to mention the dare again. "Um, Gordo?" I asked. "About that dare..."  
  
"Lizzie, I don't know," he replied slowly. "You're kind of asking a lot. Maybe... ummm... I think I'll pass."  
  
For some reason, I decided not to fight him on this. Maybe I didn't need to see who he liked because I already knew the answer.  
  
Maybe it was me.  
  
I shook the thought out of my head. "OK, well, I guess we can stop playing then. The movie's starting, anyways."  
  
Glad for a distraction, I looked up at the TV screen. The movie looked pretty unfamiliar, but I was sure it would be cool. I was totally optimistic about every aspect of this trip; somehow, I just knew that this was going to be the time of my life.  
  
The opening credits of the movie rolled on and on, and not one of the actors was someone I'd heard of. "Gordo, do you know what this is?"  
  
"Well, I'm guessing it's a movie," he answered .  
  
I couldn't tell whether he was serious or not. "Well, yeah, but what movie is it, exactly?"  
  
"You've got me. Hey look, the title."  
  
I glanced up at the screen. "'To the City, A Tale of Two Best Friends'" I said aloud. "Wow, is this ever gonna be lame!"  
  
"Hey, give it a chance!" said Gordo. "It might not be so bad."  
  
"Whatever" I replied unenthusiastically. How was I supposed to get excited about something so stupid?  
  
But as we watched the movie it kind of got interesting - like something we could relate too.  
  
Maybe a little bit *too* much like something we could relate to.  
  
*THE MOVIE*  
  
"Shannon, we're going to be late! Hurry up!"  
  
"Alright, alright, I'm coming!"  
  
"If we miss our train, I'll never forgive you."  
  
"Dave, you are *such* a drama queen!"  
  
"Hey! This is a guy you're talking to, here!"  
  
Shannon flashed a devilish grin at Dave. She couldn't believe that she was going on this trip to New York City with her best friend - well, her best guy friend, anyway. Marissa, her best gal pal, was going to be stuck sitting around their small town of Calais, Maine all summer while her friends went on their tours of New York University and Columbia University. Marissa's parents never let her go anywhere.  
  
Dave's heart skipped a beat when he saw Shannon smile. Little did she know that Dave had been in love with her for a long, long time. But he could never tell her - she thought of him as a friend, and nothing more.  
  
"Yeah, well... we'd better get moving."  
  
"C'mon, Dave, you're such a spoil-sport! I do have to finish packing, here! What will I do if I'm cruising through Manhattan and realize that I have no toothbrush?"  
  
"Uh, buy another one?"  
  
"You're such a dweeb!" Shannon said jokingly, giggling.  
  
Dave couldn't help but grin. What else could he do around such a beautiful girl?  
  
***  
  
Gordo's POV  
  
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I mean, there were a whole ton of coincidences between Lizzie's and my life and the lives of the movie characters:  
  
a) The best friends in the movie, one guy and one girl, were going on a big trip together, just like Lizzie and I were.  
  
b) Shannon and Dave were leaving behind their friend Marissa, just like Lizzie and I were going to Rome without Miranda.  
  
c) The guy friend's name was Dave, a nickname for David. Gordo is just a nickname derived from my last name, Gordon, while my *real* name is David, too.  
  
d) And in the movie, Dave is in love with Shannon - just like *I'm* in love with Lizzie.  
  
I could tell that Lizzie was freakeout by all of these peculiar coincidences, too.  
  
"I'll be right back," Lizzie said suddenly, and she ran out of her seat and towards the bathroom.  
  
'Maybe she's feeling airsick,' I reasoned.  
  
But I knew better.  
  
She must have been freaked out.  
  
Right?  
  
Lizzie's POV  
  
Maybe it was stupid for me to just run out like that, but I felt like I just had to get away from there. I couldn't stand it a minute longer.  
  
I guess the movie really scared me. But why shouldn't have? It seemed a heck of a lot like real life; like *my* life. What with the friends going on the trip, and the fact that the guy was called Dave, and their girl friend back home, they seemed so much like me and Gordo!  
  
But the scariest part of all was the fact that Dave was in love with Shannon, while there was a high chance that Gordo felt exactly the same way about me.  
  
The question was... did I like him back?  
  
This was altogether too much for me. I raced into the bathroom and locked the door. I needed a moment to collect myself. Then I turned on the tap and splashed some cold water onto my face.  
  
'Maybe coming on this trip wasn't such a good idea,' I thought. 'What if Gordo actually *is* in love with me, and he gets upset when I don't feel the same way?  
  
'Or... do I feel the same way? Is it possible that I might actually... LIKE Gordo?'  
  
Quickly, I dried off my face and unlocked the bathroom door. I slowly walked back to my seat, sat down and glanced over at Gordo.  
  
"Feeling OK?" he asked me.  
  
"Yeah. Fine," I said. I settled into my seat and put my headphones back on, while gathering the courage to look up at the TV monitor.  
  
This was *so* weird. 


	4. Author's Note, PLEASE READ!

A/N: WHERE IS EVERYBODY??????????!!!!!!!!!!!! Hel-o-ooo, is anyone reading this? I've only received TWO reviews since I posted chapter 3, and one of them was for chapter one!!! I know this may not be very good, but I think I have some pretty good ideas, so if you just read this, I know you won't regret it!!! So read it! Plz?  
  
Thanx, y'all know you're the best! Bye!  
  
-Jules :-#) +:-) 


	5. The Storm

A/N: Hi y'all! Sooo sorry that I took so long, but I *finally* finished this chapter, and I think you will all like it!  
  
OK, so this has absolutely nothing to do with the story, but I just have to say it: I WENT TO THE HILARY DUFF CONCERT!!! It was really fun, but very short. Even so, my friend Chelsae and I had a fabulous time, and we would *definitely* go again.  
  
OK, now for the moment you've all been waiting for...  
  
Read the chapter!!! -Jules ;-)  
  
Chapter 5: The Storm  
  
Gordo's POV  
  
If it were not for music, I probably wouldn't have gotten through that plane ride. We'd only been on the plane for a couple of hours, and I had already been through every song on at least two or three different CDs. And I soon realized that even just watching the other passengers on the plane could be really, really interesting.  
  
I grabbed my camera out of the overhead compartment and started snapping pictures. There really was a lot to see: Ethan was struggling over a word in some book... Candice Appleby was so engrossed in the movie that she was crying... Jamal Jenkins was about to put a spitball down Maria Quintanilla's back... Jeremy Nguyen appeared to be having an intense conversation with a leprechaun in his sleep...  
  
And then, there was Lizzie.  
  
She was so... I couldn't think of a word to describe her. Pretty? No, that wasn't good enough. Beautiful? Oh come on, who am I kidding? Beautiful is *nothing* compared to Lizzie's smile. Maybe "ravishing" would do...  
  
It was at that moment that I realized what I was doing. Trying to put how good I thought Lizzie looked into one word? I could never do that.  
  
But the way I feel about her... the way I long to feel her fingers on my face... the way her brilliant facet flashes before me in my sleep at night... there was only one word to describe it.  
  
Love.  
  
Now *that's* scary.  
  
Lizzie's POV  
  
I couldn't stop giggling as Gordo took snapshots of everyone on the plane. It was hard to decide what was funnier - what our fellow students were doing, or Gordo's running commentary. Either way, it was hilarious.  
  
Gordo had just taken a picture of himself when I saw a flash of light outside. "Whoa," I said. "Was that lightning?"  
  
"Guess so," said Gordo. "Maybe there's a storm coming in."  
  
"I h-hope not!" I stammered. "A storm means wind, and wind means turbulence, and turbulence means death!" I was on the verge of tears. Plane crashes were my biggest fear - I'd been scared of them since I was a little girl. The movie I watched where an entire airplane slammed right into a mountain is the most likely cause.  
  
Gordo's expression remained serene. "You don't have to be afraid, Lizzie," he told me softly. "The pilot can handle any turbulence. Plus, the storm can't be too close, since we would have heard the thunder by n..."  
  
His last word was cut off by a loud, Earth-quaking crash.  
  
"Well, it still took a while for the thunder to come at all," he said, voice shaking as he spoke. That one thunderclap was louder than anything I'd heard in my life - even the reunion concert for "Midnight Sam and the Love Patrol" that my dad forced me to attend when I was nine.  
  
"Um, yeah. Right," I said nervously.  
  
Gordo's face grew somber. "Lizzie..."  
  
A long streak of lightning cut through the night sky suddenly, soon followed by roaring thunder.  
  
"Uh, Gordo?" I squeaked. "I-I-I think that the s-s-s-storm is g-g-getting c-closer."  
  
"You've got that right," he answered.  
  
I was ready to *totally* freak out when the aircraft started to lurch wildly from side to side.  
  
"TURBULENCE!!!!!!!" I shouted. Under ordinary circumstances, everyone would have turned to look at the girl who cried turbulence, but these were most certainly not ordinary circumstances.  
  
The plane continued its violent rocking as I searched desperately for something good and solid to grab onto. I was so disoriented that it took me a minute to realize that *everything* on the airplane, solid or not, was moving.  
  
"Gordo!" I cried, grabbing onto his arm and digging my nails into it. I lay my head on his shoulder and started to whimper.  
  
Gordo whispered in my ear: "Shhh, it's alright, shhh, it's OK, shhh, it's going to be OK..." But I just couldn't believe him. If I let my guard down, we'd probably end up spinning upside-down and plunging into the Atlantic Ocean!  
  
I don't know how long I just sat there, clinging to Gordo's arm and crying. The turbulence went on and on, so much that I thought I would be seasick. I clamped my eyes shut, hoping that if I couldn't see all that commotion, it might go away. All I wanted was to get off of that plane, crawl under my bedcovers, and curl up with Mr. Snuggles.  
  
All of a sudden, this... this *feeling* came over me. It washed over my body and made me feel warm and safe, like a security blanket. Even though the plane hadn't stopped its tumbling and turning, it felt as if I was suddenly still; like there was calm amidst the chaos.  
  
Hesitantly, I opened my eyes. And when I looked up, all I saw was Gordo's face staring back at me, and he appeared to be just as calm as I felt. For a moment, we sat there, his arms around me, my head on his shoulder, and we stared at each other, forgetting the turmoil surrounding us.  
  
That's when the lights went out.  
  
Gordo's POV  
  
For about a split second, it seemed like nothing had happened, or maybe no one had noticed what had happened. A hush fell over the crowd of passengers; you probably could have heard a pin drop. All of the shouting and screaming had abruptly vanished, and all I could hear was the thumping of my heart, and I realized that I could feel Lizzie's pulse on my fingertips. I completely forgot about the fact that we had just lost power and were probably going to start diving towards the ground any minute now. All I could think of was the fact that Lizzie was in my arms, and *she wanted to be there* .  
  
It didn't take long for the silence to disappear just as quickly as it had come. Lizzie let out a tiny cry, and pretty soon, everyone was screaming at the tops of their lungs. 'Was this what the people felt like on that plane on September 11th?' I wondered. One thing's for sure - there was probably the same amount of panic on that plane then as their was on our plane now.  
  
A/N: Cliffhanger, I know! Don't ya just love it? Alright, so I'm probably the only one who thinks so, but I just can't write any more today without going totally bonkers, so I'll just drive *you* crazy instead and make you wait! See ya later! ;-) -Jules 


	6. Storytellers

A/N: Sorry that I took so long to write the chapter after a cliffhanger! Won't happen again, I promise! (I don't intend on writing too many cliffhangers, anyway.) Well, I think you'll like this chapter. It's basically just a continuation of "The Storm". Enjoy!  
  
Chapter 6: Storytellers  
  
It didn't take long for the silence to disappear just as quickly as it had come. Lizzie let out a tiny cry, and pretty soon, everyone was screaming at the tops of their lungs. 'Was this what the people felt like on that plane on September 11th?' I wondered. One thing's for sure - there was probably the same amount of panic on that plane then as their was on our plane now.  
  
Lizzie's POV  
  
I don't particularly recall screaming, or clutching Gordo's arm, or what everyone else on that airplane was doing. What I do remember is sheer and utter terror; I felt like a snail about to be stepped on, but too slow to run away. It was hell, and I had to get out of it.  
  
Suddenly, I stopped screaming and clutching and squeezing my eyes shut, and sat bolt upright. Gently letting go of Gordo, I felt myself also letting go of all the fear inside me, but there was also this odd feeling, like... like I was dropping something I should've kept holding onto. But what?  
  
I opened my eyes and finally noticed my surroundings: every single passenger seemed to be feeling just what I had moments ago. They were just as scared as I'd been! I turned my head to the left and saw each and every one of my classmates either screeching like owls or crying like babies.  
  
Then I turned to the right.  
  
And I saw Gordo.  
  
Looking at me.  
  
Quiet.  
  
Calm.  
  
It felt so...  
  
right.  
  
For a minute we shared this special connection, and for a minute, it felt as though nobody else was there, and nobody else mattered. It was as if our souls were merging...  
  
"Your attention please, you attention please," a male voice blared into our ears. Gordo and I continued to stare at each other for a second, then snapped out of it. "Must be the pilot," Gordo said slowly.  
  
What had just happened? What was that startling sensation that had come over me? I had a sinking feeling that I knew exactly what it was, but I dared not let myself think of it. I banished the thought from my head and strained my ears to listen to the loudspeaker. It was hard to hear over the still noisy crowd of passengers.  
  
"Your attention please, your attention please!" The pilot spoke more loudly this time, evidently trying to make the crowd shut up. Aggravation was in his voice, but I heard him sigh as he tried to calm himself. After all, if he himself wasn't calm, how would he ever calm the passengers?  
  
"We are experiencing some minor turbulence due to the storm outside," the pilot said. I leaned in and whispered to Gordo, "Like we didn't know *that* already!"  
  
"This turbulence is *not* a great danger," the pilot continued. However, we have had to turn off the lights in the main passenger areas of the aircraft, so we may use that power for controlling the aircraft throughout the storm. Remain calm. Once we get past the storm the lights will come back on. I repeat, remain calm. We thank you for your understanding."  
  
Everyone seemed to relax as the flight attendants came out, trying to quiet any crying children. I breathed a heavy sigh of relief, knowing that everything was going to be OK.  
  
Gordo's voice suddenly penetrated my mind, and before I could try to stop it, it began echoing in my head, louder than any shouts I'd heard on the plane in the past five minutes.  
  
"It's OK, Lizzie. Everything will be alright. This plane's gonna take us to Rome and we'll have a great time, and you'll be saying 'I can't believe I was afraid to get on that flight, it didn't hurt a bit!'"  
  
"It's OK Lizzie,"...  
  
How is it that Gordo's *always* right?  
  
Maybe his words had come back to me when I stopped being afraid. But not the words alone. The fact that they came from him... that made all the difference.  
  
By now, it was completely obvious what I was feeling, but I couldn't allow myself to accept those emotions. 'I can *not* like Gordo!' I thought.  
  
Looking back, I now realize how blind I was during junior high. There were so many times when I should have seen that Gordo had a crush on me: when he was playing poker with me that time I was mad at Miranda when she went to the pool party... when he got me all those shirts for picture day, even though he thought that I was being shallow... when he called me "very pretty" and "a great person" after Ethan turned me down...  
  
And then, there was *the week* . That's what I've started calling the week during which Ronny ruled my life. Within that one week, I met Ronny, realized that Ronny was cute, started to like Ronny, completely fell in love with Ronny, became totally obsessed with Ronny, forgot about everything but Ronny, and...  
  
Got my first kiss. That moment was so amazing and luscious and beautiful, but yet, it was as if something was missing.  
  
Well, after Ronny broke up with me, I knew that there was something funny going on with Gordo. After he told me that there was nobody prettier than me or more fun to be with, I told him that he was a good friend, and he replied with...  
  
A pondering look on his face?  
  
I should have known...  
  
The truth is, no matter how much I didn't want to admit that Gordo liked me, I knew that he did...  
  
But was it possible that I could like him back?  
  
Gordo's POV  
  
For a minute, I wasn't really sure of what to do next. Lizzie seemed a bit puzzled, and frankly, so was I. Why was Lizzie still acting so strangely when we'd just found out that everything was going to be OK? Now *I* was confused. 'Should I say something to her or not?' I wondered. Finally something came out:  
  
"Umm... good news, huh?"  
  
"Uhhh... yeah. Sure. Right," she replied slowly. I could tell that she was in another dimension, so I decided to leave her there.  
  
"Hey, let's tell ghost stories!" Ethan suddenly shouted. Before Icould process the fact that *Ethan* thought he had the brain capacity to tell a good ghost story, everybody on the airplane was crowding around Ethan in a big circle. After a moment more of confusion, I noticed that Lizzie was joining the circle. I shrugged off the puzzlement and dashed out of my seat, following her to the circle.  
  
As Ethan told his story, and the other passengers told theirs, too, I couldn't help but gaze at Lizzie. I tired to pull my eyes off of her once or twice. No such luck. That special something about her that I'd always thought was cute was hitting me hard; she was like a really, really big planet or space rock, and I had been pulled into an orbit around her by her great, strong force.  
  
Lizzie's POV  
  
"And then the king heard a scream, and as he and his steed galloped closer to the courtyard, a series of shrill laughs rang out into the silence of the night. He knew only one person evil enough to cause such havoc. Sure enough, there in the courtyard was his older brother standing over the queen's dead body."  
  
'Well, I sure do tell a mighty mean ghost story,' I thought to myself. My tale of a king's evil brother had always received rave reviews at campfires, and I was sure that the plane passengers would like it, too.  
  
Sure enough, every single one of them was suddenly patting me on the back and saying things like "Awesome story!" and "Great job, Lizzie!"  
  
But suddenly, I found myself being cornered by Kate. "Nice story and all Lizzie," she said sarcastically, "but just thought you should know, Gordo's been staring at you for the past half hour."  
  
I'd completely forgotten about the Gordo situation by now, but suddenly, it all came flooding back to me. I couldn't think of a time when I'd been so scared of him! I mean, he was one of my best friends. 'I shouldn't be afraid of him!' I thought. But somehow, I was.  
  
'Am I crazy?' 


	7. Calm After the Storm

A/N: OMG, how long has it been since I last updated? Two, three weeks? Whoa! Well, I promise that I'm going to get much, much better about it. Lately I've been trying to take on sooo many projects on the internet, but I'm going to make ff.net a top priority from now on.  
  
By the way, I made my own personal webpage! Check it out at . So... later! -Jules  
  
Chapter 7: Calm After the Storm  
  
Gordo's POV  
  
Maybe I'm biased, but I think that Lizzie's story was really, really good. It was scary and intriguing and everything a ghost story should be. And there was something about the way she told it... her eyes lit up as she spoke, even in the darkness. Maybe no one else noticed it, but I sure did.  
  
'Am I crazy?' I thought. 'Lizzie's totally off limits for me.'  
  
'But it's about time that I admit it to myself. It's time to admit what I'm feeling: ...um...on second thought, is there a word for this? Oh yeah: LOVE.'  
  
Yeah. As hard as it was to admit it, it's true: I was in love with Lizzie McGuire.  
  
"Gordo?" Her voice penetrated my mind with a force I'd never felt in my life. It stunned me for a minute, but I had to snap out of it.  
  
"GORDO!"  
  
I jumped onto my feet. Lizzie was standing in front of me, and she looked a tad impatient. "Oh, y-yeah, hi," I stammered. "Man it feels good to get off of the floor, doesn't it? I mean, not that the stories weren't good or anything, but the fact that you always have to sit on the floor or the ground or something to listen to a good ghost story is just really stupid, and-"  
  
"Gordo, stop!" Lizzie interrupted. "Quit rambling! I think the power's coming back on!"  
  
Sure enough, the lights all flicked on right after she said it. A sigh of relief echoed through the plane.  
  
"Man, glad that's over," said Lizzie. "'Cause I was really freaking out there for a second. Could you tell?"  
  
Could I tell?! COULD I TELL?! Had she not noticed that she was holding onto me for dear life? Maybe the grief had consumed her mind at the moment, but this was ridiculous!  
  
Lizzie's POV  
  
I waited for a reply, but all I got was this "Are you actually serious?" look. Evidently, Gordo had knew *exactly* how freaked out I was.  
  
Oh yeah...  
  
I was holding onto his arm, wasn't I?  
  
Well, that's a minor detail. Who cares if I had my hands on his arm, my head on his shoulder, my tears on his shirt? What mattered was that we were fine now, and everything was going to be OK.  
  
"Sooo... you tired?" I asked. "'Cause I'm pretty tired."  
  
"Yeah, me too," Gordo answered, walking back to his seat. "I think 'exhausted' is the real word for it."  
  
"Tell me about it! Man, why couldn't we just have a simple, normal flight?"  
  
"Because nothing about our lives is ever simple or normal. I mean, we're going to Rome, Lizzie. *Rome*. I'd say that's fairly out-of-the-ordinary, wouldn't you agree?"  
  
"Well yeah, I mean... yes. Of course. Very not normal."  
  
"Exactly. Lizzie, this trip is an adventure. Adventures never run without a hitch, right?"  
  
"No, I guess not," I replied. "It's just... I was really scared. Really, really scared. I thought that..."  
  
"What? C'mon Liz, you can tell me."  
  
Liz? He'd never called me that before; *no one* had ever called me that before. It was so odd, but at the same time, it made me feel...  
  
Safe.  
  
"I... I... I k-kind of thought that I would never see anyone I care about again."  
  
Gordo just stared.  
  
"I... I thought I'd never see *you* again."  
  
Suddenly, I saw something go off in Gordo's eyes. It was like he just... lit up when I said that. For a second, it felt as though we might kiss, and the thought made my breath get caught in my throat. I though I was suffocating, and I loved it.  
  
Then, the feeling went away. I don't know where it went, but it was gone.  
  
I knew that something had changed in that second. I knew that our friendship would never be the same. And I knew that what we'd started would be finished by the time we left Rome.  
  
But I forgot all about it in about a nano-second, since the sound of someone snoring reminded me how tired I really was.  
  
Ms. Ungermeyer's POV  
  
I poked my head through the restroom's doorway, scanning the area for any unusual behavior. Nothing seemed out of place... to the untrained eye, that is. But I know better. Quiet 14-year-olds can only mean one thing: somebody's up to something.  
  
Now as everyone knows, I'm *the* expert at sniffing out trouble. But even experts have off days, and I 'spose this was mine. Children never behave in big group situations. Yet I didn't see a single sign of suspicious activity in the entire place! Maybe I'm not as gifted as we've always thought I was.  
  
Nah.  
  
It may not make sense, but let's face it, even *I'm* not perfect.  
  
(Though I'm pretty damn close.)  
  
Ethan's POV  
  
How could one person be so bored? I mean, normally, when I'm like, bored, I'm not bored, just kinda... um... confused! Yeah, that's the word! But this plane ride is so boring that I'm really bored! Who knew that being bored could be so... like... boring!  
  
Well, maybe I was all bored and stuff, but I was still excited. In an excitedly bored kinda way, ya know? Like, we're going to Italy. They invented spaghetti there! And there'll be all these really hot girls. You know, Spanish girls. Wait, is that right? Yeah, Italians are called Spanish peeps, right? Yeah, that's totally right. Yeah.  
  
Word.  
  
Lizzie's POV  
  
When Sean Paul's "Get Busy" came on the radio, I could've jumped right out of my seat and started to dance, but I restrained myself. Kate and Ethan and everybody else was there - I couldn't make such a huge fool out of myself!  
  
'Wait, who am I kidding? The only person I care about impressing is Gordo. Oh God, I can't believe I'm talking... err, thinking... like this! What's wrong with me? How can I possibly be in love with Gordo? It doesn't make any sense!'  
  
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Gordo was snapping pics of... well, just about everything. He noticed that I'd noticed him. "Smile!" he said. I obeyed, and the flash blinded me. The first thing I saw when the flash wore off was Gordo. Whoa.  
  
Then he took a picture of himself. It flashed in his face, taking him by surprise.  
  
"Whoa!" we both exclaimed. We laughed hysterically. Man, this was *sooo* much fun!  
  
That's when I noticed Ms. Ungermeyer talking to Ethan. Desperate to eavesdrop, I turned off my headphones and discreetly listened in.  
  
"'I'm joining the navy, Mom,'" Ms. Ungermeyer said to a sitting Ethan. "'I'm sorry, but it's what I want to do, and you can't stop me, because I am a determined, strong woman, I'm 18 years old, and I'm grown up!' Boy, my mother went ballistic when she heard that. But she couldn't do anything to stop me, and she knew of her inferiority to me, so she stood off.  
  
"The navy, however, didn't respect me so much. Those babyish "men" just couldn't handle the fact that I was so much smarter and more clever than them. So they threw me out of there.  
  
"I knew I needed to help serve my country, so I joined the Marines. Those guys were so weak that I embarrassed them, so they kicked me out too. Fortunately, I managed to get the last laugh by feeding them undercooked hamburger before I left, and no one could ever pin it on me. Boy those boys sure were sick that night.  
  
"I tried my luck at the army, with no success. Then one day, I overheard someone saying how hard their job as a teacher was, and how they felt more exhausted than a platoon leader. I'd always dreamt of being a platoon leader, so I decided to try teaching. After one day of subbing, I knew I'd found my true passion.  
  
"As you can see, I've come a long way since then. Now I'm an intellectual and sassy principal, running a school of vermin who tease and taunt me around their friends, but I know that deep down, they worship me. They all worship me.  
  
"So you see Craft, it may seem like I'm in it all for the dough - and I definitely have enough bling and a shiny-enough Chrysler Lebaron convertible to make it look that way - but when it comes down to it, I'm in it for the people, I'm in it for the *passion*, and I'm in it for the POWER!!!  
  
"Uh, Craft? Cra-aft? Are you listening to me? Hey, I'm talking to you!"  
  
Ms. Ungermeyer whacked the now snoring Ethan over the head, and he jumped in his seat, startled by the interruption of his beauty sleep. "Uh, yeah," he said. "You were saying something about hamburgers?"  
  
I turned back to face the front as a *majorly* frustrated expression spread across Ms. Ungermeyer's face.  
  
"You know what Gordo? Forget about everything else I've said about ninth grade. I think that high school is going to be... fun!" 


	8. Over In Italy

A/N: Hey guys! OK, so I guess I took a little longer to update than I meant to, but hey, I'm a pretty busy girl! Now, for those of you who want more plot development, plot development is what you're gonna get! This chapter is totally crucial in the entire Lizzie McGuire Movie's storyline. Well, this is my take on it, anyway.

Props to my friend Chelsae, who provided some of the inspiration for this chapter. I couldn't have done it without you, Chels! OK, and now for the chapter. Oh, and by the way, check out my personal website, www.notalkynohappy.friendpages.com It's pretty cool, in my opinion!  
  
Chapter 8: Over In Italy  
  
No POV  
  
"You are being ridiculous, Isabella! You would not be all that you are without me; we are famous together. Your career would have gotten nowhere fast without my being a part of it. We are in this as a team! You cannot quit on me now!"  
  
"Oh really? Well, at least I can actually sing my own songs. You cannot even carry a tune! Lipsynching doesn't even take any real talent. All you do is move your lips and smile at all the girls! One flip of your hair, and they are all drooling. 'Oh Paolo, let me be your girl, I am not just some fan, I really do love you and want to be with you forever and have your babies!' And then what do you do? No, you do not stand by me. You go and flirt with them! God, how did I ever fall in love with you?"  
  
On the verge of tears, Isabella stopped herself before she could sob into the receiver. She'd been saying a lot of strange things lately. Things she'd never thought she would say. And her thoughts were becoming more and more intense. She found herself questioning everything she had with Paolo - and all of their success. Pretending that Paolo could sing was wrong. They were fooling millions of people. What those crazy female fans didn't realize was that their crush boy was a total fake.  
  
It hit her that: she suddenly remembered how much she'd hated fake people back in grade school. All the popular kids were trying to act like they were all that, but they were just a bunch of scared little children hiding from reality and living in a fantasy world. And that was exactly what Paolo had been doing for so very long now: living a lie.  
  
She just felt too guilty. Isabella knew that this could not go on any longer. The time had come for them to be truthful with their fans. And if Paolo refused, then she had to leave him. It was the right thing to do.  
  
"Izzy, please," Paolo said gently. "This doesn't have to happen. Nothing has to change. We can keep on going and we can live a happy life together! Izzy, I want to marry you, I want us to grow old together."  
  
Isabella remained silent.  
  
"Izzy... you shine like the light from the sun."  
  
"That's what you said to me on our first date. And you haven't called me Izzy since we were fifteen. I know what you're trying to do, Paolo. But it's not going to work." She paused for a moment, contemplating whether or not to say what was on the tip of her tongue.  
  
"And I know that the whole sunlight thing is just a pickup line. I heard you say it to that groupie on the night of our single's release party. I know what you did, Paolo, and I will NEVER forgive you!"  
  
With that, she slammed down the phone and left Paolo hanging on the other line.  
  
Steaming mad, Paolo threw the telephone onto the floor and screamed out in frustration. "If Isabella won't have me, fine! The island can have her! I don't need her! The world doesn't have to find out about me! Isabella will not tell anyone, and neither will I. I can be famous on my own! I can-"  
  
He cut himself off, realizing that he was talking to himself. When he was a young child, he would always see this strange old woman walking down his street, saying, "Only crazy people talk to themselves, dearie." The funny thing is, she was talking to herself. Paolo's mother had always told him to stay away from her.  
  
This freakish flashback brought Paolo to the conclusion that he must be going insane. Yet even his fear of insanity couldn't make him stop talking. "Who cares about insanity?" he softly spoke. " I have a right to be crazy. I'm rich! I can do whatever I want to, and everyone will still worship me!"  
  
A thunderous bang interrupted Paolo's thoughts. He did not know what it was, but for some reason, it gave him an idea. If he could have anything in the world without even lifting a finger, why not get the one thing that would truly satisfy him: revenge.  
  
"If I call up a few people who owe me favors," he said, "then I could completely destroy Isabella's reputation. I could humiliate her so badly that she will never show her face in public again. Then everybody will have to turn to me, she will be yesterday's news, and I will be the most famous pop star in all of Europe. Maybe I can even go to the US and become a North American celebrity, also. Then I will be an international superstar, and Miss Isabella Parichi will be just another burned-out, useless nobody whom no one will care about. I can be more famous than any other singer in the world."  
  
As he thought it over, the plan kept on sounding better and better. Maybe he could tell the press that Isabella had cheated on him with a stripper or a male groupie or a fan or something. There was always the possibility of writing a tell-all book about Izzy and her family, and selling it to bookstores all over the country.  
  
Or maybe...  
  
"THAT'S IT!" he exclaimed. Grinning devilishly, he ran out of the bedroom of his hotel suite and dashed to the living room, where his laptop computer was set up on the table. He sat down in the soft chair beside the table, and turned on the computer. He quickly opened word processor, already formulating a plan.  
  
He began to type.  
  
His thoughts flowed out onto the monitor as the scheme took shape. Paolo had never been so excited about something in his life. "She will never be able to face the public again after this reaches the press," he said wickedly. "And the best part, they will all think that she is the one who betrayed me. They will never know about the so-called "affair" with that groupie girl. What was her name, Lola? Ah well, it does not matter. Soon, Isabella Parichi will be nothing but a memory!"  
  
When he finished the letter, he logged into his email account (which didn't have his real name, of course) and typed in the address of every European tabloid he could think of.  
  
And that's when it hit them. Just telling the tabloids this information wasn't enough. To really make an impact, he'd have to show them. In fact, he could show the whole world... the International Music Video Awards were coming up!  
  
But how would he do it? "It's not like I will be able to get Isabella onstage and trick her into lipsynching," he muttered to himself. "It will never work." He had to face it: he was never going to be able to convince the world that Isabella was the one who lipsynched - and not him.  
  
"But if I don't do something soon," he whispered, "then Isabella will tell everyone that it is I who lipsynchs, and I will be ruined! I cannot let that happen. I just cannot."  
  
A brief moment of pondering, and then... he deleted the letter.  
  
Sighing, he decided to give up on all the scheming for the time being. In an act of defeat, he logged out of his email account and clicked onto his fave website, MTV.com.  
  
And that's when it happened. Who knew that MTV.com could start a scandal so huge that the entire life of an unknown American girl could be turned upside-down... that the reputation of a nice Italian girl (who just so happened to be famous) could come close to being totally destroyed.  
  
Little did that American girl know that one music video posted on the internet could spark such a controversy. But it started something so unimaginable, nobody could believe that it had happened even after it happened - or even while it was happening, for that matter.  
  
So you must be wondering what on Earth could have started all this. Well, stop wondering.  
  
The thing that Paolo discovered was...  
  
THE AARON CARTER CHRISTMAS VIDEO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
'Hmm... Aaron Carter. American pop superstar. Younger brother of Nick Carter, member of super-famous American boy band the Backstreet Boys.'  
  
Thinking it over, it slowly hit Paolo that he wasn't as cool as he thought he was. This 14-year-old American boy was famous in not only North America, but Europe, too. And no one outside of Europe knew who Paolo was.  
  
'That also means they don't know Izzy, though,' he thought with a smirk. 'My wits amaze me more every day!'  
  
Anyways, he went back to what he was reading: an article talking about the girl Aaron was spotted hanging out with at some party. "Boring, boring, boring..." he murmured.  
  
He scrolled down and saw a whole bunch of links to Aaron Carter music videos - including the Christmas version of "I Want Candy".  
  
"I wonder what this is," he said, looking at the link. "Whoever heard of making a Christmas time version for a song that already has a perfectly fine video?" Shrugging, he clicked on the link, just to see what it was like. A window popped up for the video to play in, and Paolo waited patiently. The video started...  
  
And that's when he saw her.  
  
A girl whose beauty was brighter than a morning star. A girl wose smile made you want to sing. A girl whose hair you wanted to feel brushing against your cheek.  
  
A girl who looked EXACTLY like Isabella!  
  
There was only one difference between this girl and Izzy: this girl had blond hair. She was dancing in the background, a pretty Hispanic girl beside her. They kept looking at each other and giggling - they must've been friends. Then Aaron went over to them and began to dance with these girls, whose outfits were very different from the elf costumes that the other dancers were wearing. Aaron and this girl seemed to have some chemistry...  
  
Suddenly, Paolo had a flashback. "How could I forget?!" he exclaimed, hitting himself in the head. "Of course! This is the same girl from that movie with the boy from 'Malcolm in the Middle'!" Paolo remembered seeing this girl in a TV movie starring Frankie Muniz. He'd noticed the similaritybetween her and Izzy then, and had looked for this girl's name in the credits. And her name was...  
  
Um...  
  
Lizzie! Lizzie McGuire!  
  
Whoa. Her name even sounded like Izzy! "Way freaky!" he said.  
  
Suddenly, a light bulb went off in Paolo's head. He could somehow work this girl into his plans!  
  
But wait! How was he going to get her to the IMVAs?  
  
'Oh, I'll figure something out,' he thought to himself. 'After all, I am a celebrity. This Lizzie McGuire is about to have the ride of her life...'

Lizzie awoke with a start. What had she been dreaming about? And when had she fallen asleep? She looked beside her. Gordo's seat was empty, but she was too tired to look for him. Overcome by sleepiness, she was definitely ready to drift back off to dreamland...  
  
But something told her that the dream she'd just had was really, REALLY scary.  
  
What was going on?

A/N: OHMIGOSH, IS ANYBODY ELSE **_TOTALLY PISSED OFF???!!! _**THEY DON'T LET YOU TYPE ASTERISKS ANYMORE???!!! **I HATE THESE UPGRADES!!!!!!!!!!**


	9. Dreaming

A/N: Wow, OK, so you may be wondering why neither of my stories have been updated in months. Well, the last few weeks of the school year were pretty busy for me (dance recital, school play, etc.), and for the last two weeks, I have been on vacation in South Carolina. But I still don't have a very good excuse, so from now on, NO MORE LOOOOOOONG PERIODS BETWEEN UPDATES!!!

For more on my vacation, see my online diary, which I will soon update with all the details on the last few weeks.

OK, so, at long last, enjoy the ninth chapter!!!!!!!!

P.S.: You will find a _very_ looooooong author's note in the next chapter!!!

................................................................................................................................................   
  
Chapter 9: Dreaming  
  
No POV  
  
Lizzie opened her eyes and looked around. She wasn't really sure what time it was, since their plane had traveled through so many time zones that she couldn't possibly remember which one they were in now. She looked at her watch. Back home in Hillridge, it was 2:10 AM. Outside, everything was dark. Whatever time it was, it had to be nighttime. Closing her eyes without even noticing Gordo tossing and turning beside her, Lizzie nodded off.  
  
Meanwhile, Gordo's dreams were getting crazier by the minute. First a dramatization of a fruit fly eating pancakes, and then a freakish nightmare about psycho clowns running away from the circus in the middle of a storm and, one by one, dying strange, unusual deaths.  
  
Ugh, enough creepy talk. The dreams were getting more interesting, anyway. This one appeared to be set in... Hillridge Junior High. Everyone was standing in front of the wall outside the school. And they were all on stands. And smiling. Kate and Ethan were checking each other's hair. This could only be one thing: the day of the graduation photo.  
  
Next came the sound of the principal barking at them all to stop talking and get ready for the picture. He then stepped aside and left the rest to the photographer.  
  
Gordo knew that everything happening in this dream was just as it had happened on the day that the picture was taken. Which meant that eventually, The Kiss was going to happen.  
  
Yeah, it's sort of stupid, but ever since Lizzie had kissed him on the cheek in the class photo, Gordo had come to call that event The Kiss. In fact, the entire day was The Kiss to him. After that had happened, he'd kind of just walked around in a trance. After making up a dumb excuse to bail on Lizzie, that is. Gordo couldn't even remember the excuse now. But he did remember running home thinking, Lizzie might like me, Lizzie might like me... Oh my God, Lizzie might like me!  
  
Anyways, back to the dream. As the photographer began counting to three, everything started to play in slow motion. Lizzie made him promise that they'd always stick by each other in high school and then, just as the flash went off, she planted that Kiss right onto his left cheek. In the picture, Gordo wound up looking like a total doofus. There Lizzie was, kissing him on the cheek, while he stood there grinning into the camera like an idiot! You'd think that the entire school would be gossiping about this once the pictures came in - after all, it is a pretty juicy story - but they were only interested for about a millisecond. The truth is, they had all known about Gordo's crush on Lizzie since forever, so the fact that Lizzie had decided to like him back was no real surprise.  
  
In reality, Gordo had just made an excuse and run off before Lizzie could say anything to him. But in the dream, he found himself not being able to move. He was frozen to his spot on the stands, and he couldn't help but stare at Lizzie. This girl, this beautiful girl who he'd been staring at just like this for years, had just KISSED him. It was like... like everything had changed in a flash (a camera's flash that is).  
  
When Dream Gordo finally got himself to move, it was toward Lizzie, not away from her. "Lizzie?" he asked softly.  
  
Lizzie turned her head and whispered, "Yes?" She stared back at him, her eyes full of hope and fear and joy and confusion.  
  
"I... I just wanted to say that I like you, and I have since the day you were born, if that's even possible. I know this might sound lame, but you've always been the only girl I've ever really cared about, and I know that you're the only one for me."  
  
Lizzie continued to stand there and stare for a moment. 'Oh my God, she doesn't like me back!' thought Dream Gordo. 'She hates me!'  
  
But it took only a moment for Lizzie to snap out of her daze and walk a few steps closer to Gordo. For a moment, she looked as if she was pondering what to say. She moved her mouth, but no words came out. When she finally got the courage to say what was on her mind, she stepped even closer to Gordo, brushed away a few of his curls, and softly whispered in his ear, "I love you, Gordo."  
  
................................................................................................................................................  
  
A jolt of his chair awoke Gordo instantly. "Lizzie?" he asked groggily, barely able to open his eyes. When he finally looked up, he saw Ethan standing over him with wide, anxious, puppy dog eyes. 'Geez, how did Ethan ever pass middle school?' Gordo thought. 'What's he scared of now, the Boogie Man? This guy should be in kindergarten!'  
  
"Gordo, I think you'd better see something!" Ethan whispered, trying not to wake up Lizzie. "Trust me, this is really, really important!"  
  
'Aw heck, he's still a nice guy!' thought Gordo. No matter how stupid Ethan was, he was still a funny, friendly, and downright compassionate human being. The positives far outweighed the negatives in Ethan's personality.  
  
Groggily, Gordo rose up from his seat and silently slipped past Lizzie. She turned over in her seat, but remained asleep.  
  
"OK, Ethan," whispered Gordo. "What do you need me to see?"  
  
"Well, I would've waited until morning to show you this, but I think it's pretty important... and well, I can't really figure out when morning is in this time zone."  
  
Rolling his eyes, Gordo looked at a paper in Ethan's hand. It was yellowed and torn up in places, but he could clearly make out row after row of neatly written, purple cursive. "Hey, isn't that Miranda's writing?" Gordo asked.  
  
"Yeah, exactly!" Ethan replied. "Miranda wrote this! It's a letter to Lizzie. I found it on the bathroom floor. And I think that Lizzie read it!"  
  
"Wait a minute, where was this letter addressed to?"  
  
"Lizzie's house, I guess."  
  
"Well why do I need to see it? It's Lizzie's letter, not mine."  
  
"But Gor-don, it's about YOU."  
  
"WHAT?" Gordo practically shouted. "Well don't just stand there, gimme that!" He snatched the paper out of Ethan's hand, unfolded it, and began to read.  
  
................................................................................................................................................  
  
Dear Lizzie, OMG, do you know how much I miss you? It's been soooo long! I really wish I could have been at graduation. And I am so totally jealous that you and Gordo are going to ROME! I wish that the Three Amigos weren't apart for the last summer before high school, but at least you guys are together.  
So why didn't you send me the graduation picture? Cuz you know, I'd really like to see it. I'm sure you looked awesome (as sure as I am that Gordo didn't even try to wear a special outfit for the occasion!). I really feel like I'm missing out on a lot, what with you guys graduating and going to Italy, while I'm stuck here in Mexico City. I mean, yeah, it's Mexico, which is pretty cool, but I have to be with my parents and cousins and aunts and uncles 24/7, while you get to meet new people and have new experiences and stuff. Maybe you don't realize how lucky you are, but... you are.  
Anyways, there's a whole lot of stuff going on out here, but I won't bore you with a whole bunch of Mexican traditions that I barely even understand. I will tell you that the people in my family are obsessed with game shows, and I'm actually starting to understand the language (since I've been watching "El Oro De Montezuma" nonstop).  
Lizzie, look. There's something I've gotta tell you, and I'm not really sure how to say it, but... I think that Gordo likes you. And I don't mean he likes you, like a friend likes a friend. What I mean is, he LIKES you. As more than a friend. I know that this sounds cheesier than Stuffed Crust® pizza, but if you ask anyone else, I'm sure that they'll tell you the same. Gordo is head-over-heels in love with you, and everyone can tell.  
  
Maybe this sounds immature, stupid, whatever, but I think that if you just ask him about it, he might tell you the truth. I mean, I don't want our friendship to be broken up by a failed relationship (and it's Gordo, ew!), but if you just ask him, maybe you can convince him to be just friends, to stop LIKE-liking you and start just liking you as the awesome best friend you are.  
If you think I'm crazy, whatever, but do me a favor, and just ASK the poor boy - before I do it first!!!  
Well, gotta motor. I have to go to this big family dinner that everyone's been planning for the last two weeks. So, I'm outie. See ya!  
  
Your best friend till the end,  
  
Miranda  
  
................................................................................................................................................  
  
"I can't believe this!!!" Gordo exclaimed. "How could Miranda have written this? She actually said that... Wait a minute. Did Lizzie read this? Ethan, DID LIZZIE READ THIS???!!!"

"Chill, Gor-don," Ethan replied, obviously not worried at all anymore. "Look, I don't know if Lizzie read this. Maybe she didn't, for all I know. But if that thing was on this plane, then chances are, Lizzie read it. And I for one feel a lot better knowing that you have seen this, so if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna do this." And without another word, he collapsed onto his chair and was snoring within seconds.

And Gordo was freaking out, big time. "I've gotta find out if Lizzie's read this letter," he said quietly to himself. "And if she hasn't, then I've gotta make sure that she never does!!!"


	10. Lizzie, Wake Up!

A/N: (Inhale.)  
  
Let me make something clear: 14 Hours takes place during the Lizzie McGuire Movie. See how the movie starts with them at home, and then they wind up in Rome? Yeah, they had to take a plane. This is just me filling in the blanks. So if the story seems exactly like the movie, that's because IT'S PART OF THE MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
And the chapter with Paolo and Isabella in it is also happening at the same time as Lizzie and Gordo sleep on the plane. That's why it's in this story. The plot of this story is the same as the movie: Lizzie and Gordo are going to Rome, and meanwhile, Paolo and Isabella's relationship has deteriorated, but Paolo wants the world to think that Isabella is the lipsyncher, and not him. He's not really plotting against Lizzie; he's plotting against Isabella, and if he has to hurt Lizzie in the process, he doesn't really care.  
  
I thought that the point of this story was pretty clear! Hello?  
  
Ugh. My first flame! (In case you haven't figured it out, that's the reason for this super-long note of explanation.) That review was MAJORLY stupid! Whoever these Mountain Dew and Sprite people are, one thing's for sure: they're losers. You don't have to LIKE my stories, but at least UNDERSTAND THEM BEFORE YOU GO BADMOUTHING THEM!!! AND I DON'T APPRECIATE FLAMES!!! The point is, if you ain't got nothing good to say, then do me a favor and don't say anything. Thanks.  
  
OK, so... here's the new chapter! (Finally.)  
  
(Exhale.)  
  
...................................................................................................................  
  
Chapter 10: Lizzie, Wake Up!  
  
Lizzie's POV  
  
I was sound asleep when Gordo woke me up. At first I thought that there was more turbulence, 'cause he was shaking me really hard. But I just groaned and rolled over. Then I heard him whispering, "Lizzie! Lizzie, wake up!"  
  
"Oh my gosh," I said groggily. "What time is it?"  
  
"Well I'm guessing it's the middle of the night, judging by the darkness."  
  
"OK, well if it's the middle of the night, then you should be asleep. You know, since that's what we humans do, we sleep at night. Yeah." I turned away from Gordo again and tried to get comfy.  
  
"Lizzie, wait." He turned me over and forced me to sit up. "There's... there's something I've got to ask you, and uh... well, I need you to be awake when you answer."  
  
"Geez, can't you wait until the morning? I was just in a really deep sleep, and you just woke me up for some stupid question? Go to bed." OK, so maybe I wasn't being very nice, but when you've just been woken up from a really deep sleep, you tend to be annoyed.  
  
"Um, Lizzie, we don't have any beds up here. Just seats."  
  
"Whatever, then go to seat! Sheesh!"  
  
"I didn't wanna have to do this, but..." Before I could whack him in the face with a pillow or something, he hit me in my weak spot: my oh-so-ticklish stomach.  
  
"Oh my gosh, Gordo, STOP IT!!!" I squealed, trying to get away. I was now fully awake, laughing out loud, in the middle of the silent plane. "Please, c'mon Gordo, stop it!!! JUST STOP!!!"  
  
A few people were stirring in their seats now; I had to quiet down. I had to admit, this whole ticklefest was a tiny bit amusing; it was downright enjoyable, and THAT got me a bit scared. But I was growing weaker by the second, and Gordo's tickles were only getting worse. And if Ms. Ungermeyer saw him tickling me IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, THAT would be a tad... awkward.  
  
"Okay, okay, I give, I'll answer your question just stop tickling me!!!"  
  
Finally he stopped. I flopped back onto my seat and tried to catch my breath. I was panting like a dog, and so was Gordo. Then I took a quick look around to see if anyone was awake. I thought that I caught a glimpse of someone standing, but a split second later, they were gone, so I turned back to Gordo.  
  
"Alright," I whispered, "so what was that question?"  
  
...................................................................................................................  
  
Gordo's POV  
  
Ethan gave me a big thumbs-up as I nervously glanced over my in his direction. He slunk back down into his seat, and prepared myself for the question I was about to ask. How am I going to say this, exactly? I thought. I took a deep breath. Lizzie's waiting for my question. It's now or never.  
  
"Lizzie, have you... err... um... see, I was just wondering..."  
  
"Mmm hmm...?" she prompted.  
  
"Have you heard from Miranda at all lately?"  
  
Yeah, I know, it sounds very dumb in theory: I wake her up and go through all this tickling (as the phrase "Is this good for you?" pops into my head), only to ask her if she's heard from a friend. But this really was important, and if I waited till morning to ask her, I wouldn't have slept a wink. So I had to do it.  
  
"Miranda?" Lizzie gave me a completely blank look. "Have I heard from Miranda? Lately?" she added quickly. "You woke me up to ask if I've heard from Miranda." She was speaking in a complete monotone now, and I had no idea what she was thinking.  
  
"Hmm, have I heard from Miranda lately. Hmm."  
  
This, of course, was driving me insane. She looked kinda like my parents do before they're about to explode into some loud rant about my poor tidying habits or something. "Hmm, is a clean room really important? Hmm." She reminded me of my mother! Frankly, I was getting sort of scared of Lizzie right about then.  
  
Fortunately, there was no huge blowup. Only a dirty look, and a simple, "Goodnight, Gordo." She adjusted her pillows and tried to fall asleep again.  
  
"Wait," I whispered, prompting a loud groan. "You don't have to turn around, just listen. Real quick. Okay?"  
  
The silence was unbearable.  
  
"Okay," she finally whispered.  
  
Another deep breath. "Okay. What I need to know is, has Miranda sent you any letters lately?" I'd cut to the chase at last.  
  
Lizzie rolled over to face me and looked me right in the eye. I felt a chill, but tried not to let her see it.  
  
This was the moment of truth. And Lizzie spoke very quietly.  
  
"I don't know why you need to know this, but no, I haven't received any letters from Miranda."  
  
Relief washed over me. A huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders. I was saved!!! She hadn't read it!!!  
  
But wait, I thought. If she didn't read the letter, then how did it get onto the plane?  
  
"Uh, thanks, Lizzie. That's all I needed to know." She was still looking me in the eye. "You can go to sleep now, if you want."  
  
"Right." She looked away. "Goodnight, Gordo," she said, turning over.  
  
Ethan was waving to me, grinning. Furious, I shot out of my seat and ran over to him (as quietly as possible, of course). I grabbed him by the collar and pulled him away from the other sleeping passengers. "Ethan, where did you get this?!" I demanded, pulling the letter out of my pocket and waving it in front of his face.  
  
"I already told you, man, it was on the bathroom floor!" he replied. "So Lizzie didn't read it, huh?"  
  
"No, she didn't. In fact, she hasn't even received any letters from Miranda at all. Which means that SHE must not have brought it onto this plane, so MIRANDA must not have written it. So how did it get up here, huh? Answer me that."  
  
Ethan was looking a bit scared now. "Gor-don, I really don't know how it got up here. All I know is, I saw it with my very own eyes, on the floor, without an envelope or anything. So if Miranda didn't write it, someone on this plane must've. But I don't know who. I really don't!"  
  
I bit my lip, then sighed. He's telling the truth, I thought. Ethan doesn't lie.  
  
"I believe you, Ethan," I said slowly. "I just... this doesn't really make sense to me."  
  
"Hey, I'm stumped too," said Ethan. "I don't get it." He stared into space, trying to make sense of the situation. "Ugh, brain cramp!" he exclaimed suddenly, clutching his head.  
  
"Alright. That's enough thinking for one day," I said, patting him on the shoulder.  
  
"Yeah," he muttered. "The doc said I'm only supposed to think hard for like, a few minutes a day, or like, this could happen.  
  
"Right." At this point, how the letter got here didn't matter. All that mattered was that LIZZIE HADN'T READ IT. But...  
  
Would it have been such a bad thing if she had? 


	11. Argumentative Peoples

A/N: Well, there's certainly a lot to talk about here. But I won't bore you with my life. I will tell you that I'm running out of excuses to update so rarely, 'cause we just got a new computer! (Not to mention a scanner, printer, and DVD burner). The high speed internet is coming next week, so it'll be MUCH easier for me to update, read and review... and check email and IM and everything else I do online.

I just slept over at my friend's house on the weekend, and we watched the movie "Thirteen". If you haven't seen that movie, you definitely should, 'cause it's really good. OK, so you see some kinda nasty stuff, but not too much. I was a bit surprised that my friend's mom let her buy the DVD, but it turns out that mommy dearest has no clue what the movie's about. Ahh, it all makes sense now. LOL. Yeah yeah, alright, here's the chappie. (BTW, don't ask about the chappie's title, I just made it up, okay?)

IMPORTANT: I'm going away on vacation for one week – from the 18th to the 25th or 26th. I may be able to update while on the trip, but I'm not totally sure. So if you don't see any updates in the next week, that's why! Other than that, I hope to be updating more frequently from now on.

To find out about my new fansites, see my profile. P.S. I'll be starting School of Rock fanfics soon! Keep checkin back!

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Chapter 11: Argumentative Peoples

Lizzie's POV

A dream can be a very weird thing. One minute, it's saying that you're worried about something, the next, you're feeling confident. But personally, I don't like to analyze my dreams. I think they're better off being left alone to roam through your mind and become whatever they decide. Whatever your gut tells you they mean, that's what they mean.

That's what I was doing at that moment: dreaming. Dreaming about something, but... oh, I can't remember. But I'm pretty sure that it was a good dream. I remember seeing Miranda and Gordo and a whole bunch of other people there. They were laughing and talking, and they didn't seem to see me walking through the room. So I said something, and suddenly, they were all crowding around me. I only WISH I could remember what I said.

Anyways, the dream had a happy ending. But see, I'm sure that I could've dreamt even more if it weren't for Janice and Benjamin.

Everyone knows anyone knows everything about Janice McAddams and Benjamin Sole. Neither of them was ever very popular, until they met each other. They were the very first "official couple" out of all the kids our age in Hillridge Elementary. They became boyfriend and girlfriend in the fourth grade. It was pretty scandalous at the time, but we were all so used to it by middle school that the new couplings of junior high weren't all that shocking.

Back to the story. Jan and Ben first hooked up at the age of nine, but split a few days after Jan's tenth b-day, since Ben didn't get her anything. But then, on HIS birthday, HE gave HER a necklace that his sister helped him to make. Jan was ecstatic. She even gave Ben a kiss on the lips – a first for the both of them. Ever since then, they've been totally inseparable, except for when they break up from time to time.

I guess you could say that this was one of those times, only that it was kinda different since their breakup had never happened in the middle of the night on an airplane on the way to Rome before. Though everyone in their grade was used to their breakups, it was a whole different story when the huge fight awoke EVERYONE. Naturally, the people were ticked.

"You never know when to stop!" Janice exclaimed. "I tell you no, and you just keep doing it! For the last time, if I say that I don't want a backrub, I MEAN THAT I DON'T WANT A FRIGGIN BACKRUB!"

"Baby, settle down," Ben cooed. "You're waking up the other kids. Let's just try to work this out _quietly_. Please."

"No, Ben! That's it! I'm not taking any orders from you any more! You always try to boss me around and it drives me insane! Well you know what, know more of that, if you just want someone to boss around, and not to care about you the way that I do, then go find someone to be your _slave _instead!!!" She jumped out of her seat and ran towards the bathroom.

"Jan, c'mon! This isn't about me bossing you around; this is about your being too self-centered to notice that somebody else has feelings that can be hurt! You just don't understand that you can't treat people like crap the way you do, and you won't ever get the message!"

"Cut the bull crap, you're just making excuses for the fact that YOU'RE the one who treats me like crap, even though YOU promised me that I'd always be your queen. I JUST WON'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!!!!" She stormed into the bathroom and slammed the door. Ben got up and tried to open the door, but she'd already locked it. Defeated, he slumped onto the ground.

By this point, everyone on the entire plane was awake, watching and listening intently. When Ben noticed all the eyes on him, he shouted "What the hell are you looking at? GET OUT OF MY FACE!" Everybody turned away, but kept taking the occasional peek back at him, wondering what sparked this random outburst.

I looked over at Gordo, and saw that he, too, was staring wide-eyed at the entire scene. He turned to me and we exchanged a silent giggle before looking back at Ben. As usual, he was sitting there thinking 'How am I gonna get her to forgive me?' And we knew that inside the bathroom, Jan was banging her head against the door thinking 'Why are you such an idiot Janice, you love him, but he's a bastard, but... UGH!' We'd all grown quite accustomed to this since fourth grade, so much so that we could completely predict the outcome of the fight: Ben would give or say something to her that would either make her laugh or make her cry, and she'd tell him a joke she read on the internet at 2 am between downloading songs by the Von Bondies and signing the guestbook on his site for the millionth-and-a-half time, and they'd hug and kiss and say I'm sorry and make up and walk away hand-in-hand – and from time to time, the rest of us would start cheering or clapping after they made up. Very stereotypical Janice-and-Benjamin fodder.

But as it turns out, that night was different.

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A/N: Are they gonna make up or not? That's right, I'm leaving you with a cliffhanger right before my vacation! Well, I'm gonna go update my other story, so please read and review! And... if you can't review after the site is disabled, then just read. Please. Thanks a bunch, talk to you guys later! See y'all! ;-D


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